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Aug 27, 646
Taika Reform
Following the Battle of Hakusukinoe against Tang China and Silla in 663 AD, which led to a retreat from Korean affairs, Japan underwent widespread reform. One of the most important was that of the Taika Reform, issued by Prince Naka no Oe in 646 AD. This order allowed the Japanese aristocracy to adopt the Tang dynasty political structure, bureaucracy, culture, religion, and philosophy. Photo source: Link text -
Jun 15, 795
Shogun
Emperor Kammu introduced the title of sei'i-taishōgun, or Shogun, and began to rely on the powerful regional clans to conquer the Emishi. Skilled in mounted combat and archery, these clan warriors became the Emperor's preferred tool for putting down rebellions; the most well known of which was Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Photo source:Link text -
Nov 15, 797
Bushidō
Some clans were originally formed by farmers who had taken up arms to protect themselves from the Imperial magistrates sent to govern their lands and collect taxes. These clans formed alliances to protect themselves against more powerful clans, and by the mid-Heian period they had adopted characteristic Japanese armor & weapons, and laid the foundations of Bushido, Japanese term for the samurai way of life. Photo Source: Link text -
Jan 19, 1160
Heiji Rebellion
As the power of these regional clans grew, their chief was typically a distant relative of the Emperor and a lesser member of either the Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira clans. Their involvement in the Hōgen Rebellion in the late Heian period consolidated their power, which later pitted the rivalry of Minamoto and Taira clans against each other in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. Photo Source: Link text -
Period: Jan 19, 1160 to Feb 5, 1160
Heiji Rebellion
As the power of these regional clans grew, their chief was typically a distant relative of the Emperor and a lesser member of either the Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira clans. Their involvement in the Hōgen Rebellion in the late Heian period consolidated their power, which later pitted the rivalry of Minamoto and Taira clans against each other in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. Photo Source: Link text -
Period: May 5, 1180 to Aug 29, 1185
Genpei War
The Genpei War (1180–1185) was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1192. It followed a coup d'état by the Taira in 1179 and call to arms against them led by the Minamoto in 1180. Photo Source: Link text -
Apr 25, 1185
Battle of Dan no ura
The battle of Dan no ura was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan no ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshu. On April 25, 1185, the Minamoto clan fleet, led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, defeated the Taira clan fleet. The morning rip tide was an advantage to the Taira in the morning but turned to their disadvantage in the afternoon. Photo Source: Link text -
Period: Nov 28, 1201 to Nov 29, 1300
Spread of Buddhism
Various samurai clans struggled for power during the Kamakura and Ashikaga Shogunates. Zen Buddhism spread among the samurai in the 13th century and helped to shape their standards of conduct, particularly overcoming fear of death and killing, but among the general populace, Pure Land Buddhism was favored. -
Nov 28, 1274
First Invasion by Mongol
In 1274, the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty sent a force of some 40,000 men and 900 ships to invade Japan in Kyushu. Japan mustered a mere 10,000 samurai to meet this threat. The invading army had several obstacles by major thunderstorms throughout the invasion, which aided the defenders by inflicting heavy casualties. The Yuan army was eventually recalled and the invasion was called off. Photo Source:Link text -
Nov 28, 1281
Second Invasion by Mongol
In 1281, a Yuan army of 140,000 men with 5,000 ships was mustered for another invasion of Japan. Northern Kyushu was defended by a Japanese army of 40,000 men. The Mongol army was still on its ships preparing for the landing operation when a typhoon hit. The casualties and damage inflicted by the typhoon resulted in the Mongols again recalling their armies. Photo Source: Link text -
Nov 29, 1328
Masamune and the Katana
In the 14th century, a blacksmith called Masamune developed a two-layer structure of soft and hard steel for use in swords. This structure gave much improved cutting power and endurance, and the production technique led to Japanese swords (katana) being recognized as some of the most potent hand weapons of pre-industrial East Asia. Photo Source: Link text -
Period: Nov 29, 1467 to
Sengoku Period
The Sengoku jidai was marked by the loosening of samurai culture with people born into other social strata sometimes making names for themselves as warriors and thus becoming de facto samurai. In this turbulent period, bushido ethics became important factors in controlling and maintaining public order. -
Nov 29, 1543
Arquebus
The arquebus, a matchlock gun, was introduced by the Portuguese via a Chinese pirate ship in 1543 and the Japanese succeeded in assimilating it within a decade. Groups of mercenaries with mass-produced arquebuses began playing a critical role. By the end of the Sengoku Period, several hundred thousand firearms existed in Japan and massive armies numbering over 100,000 clashed in battles. Photo Source: Link text -
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who became a grand minister in 1586, himself the son of a poor peasant family, created a law that the samurai caste became codified as permanent and hereditary, and that non-samurai were forbidden to carry weapons, thereby ending the social mobility of Japan up until that point, which lasted until the dissolution of the Edo Shogunate by the Meiji revolutionaries. Photo Source: Link text -
Battle of Sacheon
The 1598 battle of Sacheon was a siege by Korean and Chinese forces against the Japanese fortification of Sacheon on September 28–29, 1598, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea. The Japanese were able to withstand the siege, and due to a fortuitous explosion in the Chinese artillery unit's powder magazine, attacked and drove off the Chinese and Korean army. Photo Source: Link text
